From Dave Staples of the Cult of Hockey:
Charlie Huddy told Dan Tencer of 630 CHED that the Oilers plan to go with Smid
paired up with Denis Grebeshkov to start, also Lubomir Visnovsky and Tom
Gilbert, as well as Steve Staios and Sheldon Souray.
Winger Erik Cole, recently acquired from Carolina, arrived in Edmonton yesterday with his wife, and is saying the right things.It's a brief trip, but a busy one as Erik Cole hits Edmonton for the first time since becoming a member of the Oilers. He has been here before, of course, as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final; he most vividly remembers the atmosphere around Game 6, a game that he says "wasn't all that memorable" for the Canes (4-0 win for the Oilers). First and foremost Cole and his wife are here to buy a house. The Cole's will be making the move together with their 2 young children sometime in late August. They're looking to find a house fast because they need to get back to New York for their son's 4th birthday party this weekend.
Chatting with Cole this morning at Servus Credit Union Place in St. Albert, where he made a stop to sign autographs for the young participants in the Oilers Hockey School, it didn't take long to realize that he and his family are truly eager to start their new life in Edmonton. "There's a big buzz and everyone that I've talked to within the organization is really excited about the upcoming season," Cole said. "The way they finished last year, it's an exciting time to be an Oiler. My wife and I are really excited to be here."
Hopefully Cole puts up a few points and finds some chemistry in the Top 9. Having another offensive option certainly won't hurt the Oilers.
From Dan Wood of the Orange County Register:
It’s probably not at the top of the NHL’s to-do list, but the league hasn’t shelved the tampering charge filed by Ducks General Manager Brian Burke (right) against Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed in an E-mail this morning that the league has received a formal request to investigate but has not concluded its probe.
“It is being processed internally,” Daly wrote. “No further update at this time.”
From Lowetide:
At 36 years old, Marius Czerkawski has decided to retire. The former Oiler (who is also connected to two teams Edmonton has often dealt with over the years, NYI and Boston) had been playing in Switzerland the last couple of seasons.
As per the Grand Forks Herald, the Edmonton Oilers signed the defenseman to a 2-way deal. He is expected to split time between Springfield and Stockton.
Bina, an all-Western Collegiate Hockey Association defenseman at UND, recently signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Edmonton Oilers organization, which also holds the rights to Geoff Paukovich.
Bina’s contract is with Springfield (Mass.) Falcons of the American Hockey League and the Stockton (Calif.) Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League.
Good signing by the Oilers. Despite some other higher profile names getting all the press for the Sioux, its quite often Bina who runs the power-play and makes things happen. He is small, but his skills with the puck are undeniable.
From Bob Stauffer of the Edmonton Sun:
This past week Marian Hossa's agent Ritch Winter made an interesting comment regarding a factor in the decision-making process for Hossa when he was in free agency.
Winter inferred that when it came to evaluating the Edmonton Oilers, a concern that the Hossa camp had was goaltending.
I do not share those same concerns.
In fact it is my belief that Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe should strike quickly and sign Mathieu Garon to a long-term deal.
Garon was one of the top free-agent buys in the 2007 off-season.
From Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun:
Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers figures four years in the minors is enough.
The Edmonton Oilers goaltender is ready to make the jump to the NHL.
"My intention is to make the Oilers this year," Drouin-Deslauriers said yesterday after the Oilers announced they had reached an agreement with him on a two-year contract extension.
From Jonathan at Copper & Blue:
TSN is reporting that Marty Reasoner has signed a contract with the Atlanta Thrashers. Reasoner has long been a favourite of mine, a player who entered the league as a high-scoring blue-collar prospect, and had to adapt his game to play a checking role. He's suffered various injuries over his career, and lost a step that he really couldn't afford to lose, but he's still been able to carve out a career as a 3rd/4th line forward, a face-off and PK ace, and a character guy in the dressing room.
From Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal:
Moving on was an option Shawn Horcoff considered.
After one more season with the Edmonton Oilers, he would have been an unrestricted free agent and able to pick his next destination.
But after considering all that has happened with the NHL club -- from the change in the ownership to the changes in the locker-room -- he decided to stay put.
From Dave Staples of the Cult of Hockey:
My sense is there was little or no appetite in Edmonton for another Ryan Smyth scenario. We could not have the team's top forward unsigned all year and heading towards unrestricted free agency, forcing the team's management to cringe -- even if it was just a little, tiny twinge -- every time Smyth had a great game because it made it just that much harder to either sign or to trade the Mullet Man.
So it was best to deal with Horcoff right away -- either by a signing or a trade -- and full marks to both Oilers GM Kevin Lowe and Horcoff for settling sooner, rather than later.
5.5 million cap hit per season really isn't bad for what Horcoff brings to the table; while I doubt he'll be consistently as effective as he was last season, he should be a first-line, 70-point, tough-competition outscorer for at least the next 2-3 years.
This is a very good day, and if the numbers are cap friendly it could be a great one.
UPDATE: Stauffer on the Team 1260 is saying 6 years/33 million for a 5.5 million per season cap hit.
I'm having a beer, and then I'm having another one.
From TSN:
The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to terms with forward Shawn Horcoff on a six-year, $33 million contract extension, keeping him under contract through the 2014-15 season.
''Shawn has proven himself as one of the premier players in the National Hockey League and has been and will continue to be an integral part of our organization moving forward,'' Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe said in a statement. ''By being proactive with this deal, we avoid being in a situation where Shawn could become an unrestricted free agent after next season and the unknown free agency can bring to the organization. Having him under contract long-term is something that has been on our radar for a long time and we are extremely pleased to finalize this deal.''
From Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun:
It appeared as though Zack Stortini might be on his way out when the Edmonton Oilers made a pitch to bring back enforcer Georges Laraque.
However, according to Kevin Prendergast, that was never the case.
"No, Zack was always part of the plan," said the Oilers vice-president of hockey operations. "We know exactly what he can do.
"We just felt that Georges would fill a hole left by Curtis Glencross leaving. It was never to replace Zack."
From TSN:
The Edmonton Oilers signed forwards Zack Stortini and Carl Corazzini to three and one-year contracts, respectively, Tuesday.
In his first full season with the Oilers, Stortini recorded 12 points (3-9-12) and 201 penalty minutes -- fifth in the league -- in 66 games in 2007-08.
"Zack had a very productive season last year and were looking for him to build from that. Hes an intimidating presence on the ice and is establishing himself as an important part of our hockey club," Vice-President of Hockey Operations Kevin Prendergast said.
From Dave Staples of the Edmonton Journal:
Ever dream of being an NHL executive?
The Sports Business Journal has an interesting story on how team presidents, such as the Oil's Patrick LaForge, made it to the top.
In the NHL, moreso than any other pro league, it helps to have a family tie to the team owner to get the top job.
From Dan Wood of the Orange County Register:
One day after suggesting that the NHL look into a potential Edmonton Oilers tampering violation regarding right wing Corey Perry, General Manager Brian Burke said Friday that the Ducks will file a formal charge with the league.
Reached earlier Friday via E-mail, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league “would need to receive a formal charge with supporting rationale” before launching any tampering investigation.
Burke confirmed that the Ducks intend to submit just such a formal request either later Friday or Monday.
From Eric Stephens of the L.A. Times:
In the radio interview, Lowe said, "What I really want to say about [Burke's] bickering about parity and the salary cap is if you're unhappy about them, then trade [Perry] our way. We'll be glad to have him."
Burke has asked the NHL to look into whether Lowe's comments about Perry constitute tampering and wants the league to investigate his successful pursuit of Niedermayer in August 2005.
"If they conclude there's no tampering, you'll not hear another word from us," Burke said today.
Any action taken against the Oilers isn't likely. Bill Daly, the league's No. 2 official, said there is no current investigation into Burke's charge of "tampering" or the circumstances surrounding the Niedermayer signing.
From Dan Wood of the Orange County Register:
More importantly, we believe our fan base is as supportive and as rabid and as loyal as any fan base in pro sports, not just in the National Hockey League. We’ve played to 77 (consecutive home) sellouts, which I believe is the third-best streak in the NHL. All of our suites are sold. Club seats are at record levels. No one can question the commitment and support and loyalty of the Anaheim Ducks fan base. We believe they’re the best fans in professional sports.
From Copper & Blue:
Strudwick is from Edmonton originally, and brings size (6'4", 225lbs) and pugilistic ability to the table (10 majors, only 4 minors last season). He hits and blocks shots and brings no offense whatsoever.
Right now, I'd peg this signing as a Matt Greene replacement, and Strudwick should have no difficulty whatsoever filling in against the 4th line filler of the league. By all accounts he's a character guy. Still, there's some upside to this trade. The Oilers have acquired this sort of player in the past, the utility forward/defender with little offense, and it usually goes one of two ways: Scott Ferguson, or Steve Staios. It seems much more probable that Strudwick's performance as an Oiler mirrors the first, but it isn't impossible that it mirrors the latter.
From the Globe & Mail:
The Ottawa Senators announced Tuesday that the club has signed defenceman Jason Smith to a two-year contract.
The 14-year National Hockey League veteran has acted as team captain in each of his last six NHL seasons, including 2007-08 with the Philadelphia Flyers and the previous five seasons with the Edmonton Oilers.
From Pierre Lebrun of the Canadian Press:
"It wasn't an easy decision," the star winger told The Canadian Press in a
phone interview Friday. "It was the toughest decision in my life, hockey-wise.
...
"It was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be," he added. "No
question about it. I hate making changes."
